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As defined by Texas Health and Safety Code Section 241.003, a general hospital is an establishment that meets both of the following criteria:
Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 241 establishes the state licensing requirements for general hospitals. Under state law, HHSC is responsible for the licensing and regulation of general hospitals in Texas, and the Regulatory Services Division within HHSC carries out these duties.
HHSC adopts rules for general hospitals including establishing standards for:
An applicant seeking a general hospital license must submit a complete application, license fee, and other applicable documents to HHSC. The Health Facility Licensing Unit will not process an application until after HHSC Accounts Receivable receives and posts the license fee.
Refer to the application or instructions linked in this section for specific requirements.
HHSC must review and approve all required application materials received before issuing a license to an applicant.
Refer to the Architectural Information page.
HHSC conducts health compliance on-site inspections to determine compliance with the provisions of the Health and Safety Code and associated rules listed in the Laws and Rules section of this page. During the inspection, HHSC staff generally perform the following activities:
The Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services directs state health agencies or other appropriate agencies to determine whether health care entities meet federal standards. This helping function is termed "provider certification." Health Care Regulation staff are responsible for providing certification oversight on behalf of CMS for general hospitals.
For more information on the certification process, refer to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Information page, or contact your regional office (PDF).
CAHs are a type of hospital that may be grated a special federal designation when they meet one or more of the following eligibility criteria:
Refer to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services' website for information on obtaining Medicare certification, and refer to the CMS Critical Access Hospitals page for more information on CAHs. The Texas State Office of Rural Health maintains a list of CAHs in Texas.
Refer to our CLIA information page. For more information on CLIA, contact your regional office (PDF).
For Health Care Regulation contact information, visit our Contact Us page.
Phone: 512-438-5439 Fax: 512-834-6623 Email: Health.Facilities.Enforcement@hhsc.state.tx.us Mailing Address: Texas Health and Human Services Commission Regulatory Services Division Health Care Facility Enforcement, MC 1866 P.O. Box 149347 Austin, TX 78714-9347
Texas Health and Human Services is committed to providing full access to public information. For information on how to submit an open records request, visit the Open Records Policy & Procedures webpage .
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